Outlaws dynasty heads to Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame

Outlaws shortstop Lyndsay Koscielski, centre, smiles at a presser.

The Saskatoon Outlaws are the picture perfect example of the cliché, “Win today and walk together forever.”

In 2011, the Outlaw cemented a softball dynasty winning their third Canadian Junior Women’s Championship in four years. They captured gold with a 4-3 title game victory over the Ontario champion Guelph Junior Gators at nationals hosted in Windsor, Ont. They claimed their two previous Canadian championships in 2010 at home in Saskatoon and in 2008 in Summerside, P.E.I.

The run of national titles could have been four in a row, but at the 2009 nationals hosted in St. Catharines, Ont., the Outlaws were missing four of their top players due to commitments with the nursing program at the University of Saskatchewan. The team finished fifth at that national championship tournament.

While it has been 12 years since the Outlaws last Canadian championship win, the players from those teams still carry tight friendships and keep in touch on a regular basis into the present day. Those bonds have carried on even through those players’ lives are much different than when they played for the Outlaws when they were between the ages of 19 and 23.

“It is pretty cool, and now we all have kids,” said Outlaws shortstop Lyndsay Koscielski. “Now, our kids play sports together.

“We still get together at Christmas. We still hang out.”

On Wednesday, another accolade came the Outlaws way. During a press conference in the main hall at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds, it was announced that all three of those Canadian champion Outlaws squads will be inducted as part of the 2023 class into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremonies will be held in the evening on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Prairieland Park. The 2023 class includes the three Outlaws teams, five athletes and three builders.

“It is pretty cool,” said Koscielski about the upcoming induction. “It is something we never expected.

Outlaws coach Ben Garchinski, left, shakes hands with Derek Bloski.

“I never ever would have thought of this.”

The majority of the players on the Outlaws grew up through Saskatoon’s minor softball system playing against each other as either members of the Phantoms or the Hustlers. Those players came together to start the “Outlaws Era” as members of the midget A Outlaw Selects in 2006.

The Outlaw Selects won provincial titles in the midget A ranks in 2006 and 2007 leading up to the team’s core graduating to the junior A ranks in 2008 becoming the Outlaws. The Outlaws captured the junior A provincial title in 2008 and followed up with as the surprise winner of the 2008 Canadian championships in Summerside, P.E.I.

The Outlaws 2008 Canadian title win marked the first time a team from Saskatchewan won the junior women’s championship.

Following the 2008 campaign, the Outlaws won the junior A provincial title in 2009 and again in 2010. The second Canadian championship win came in 2010 on home turf. With Saskatoon hosting junior nationals, the Outlaws downed the Guelph Junior Gators 7-4 at Bob Van Impe Stadium for their second Canadian title.

After winning another provincial junior A crown in 2011, the Outlaws moved on to down the Gators for a second straight season in the Canadian championship game with nationals being held in Windsor, Ont. That win completed the run of winning three national junior A titles in four years for the Saskatoon squad.

Jon Equina, who has coached softball in Saskatoon for 23 over years and has had an even longer playing career, was one of the Outlaws assistant coaches during those junior A championship seasons. He considers those four seasons he coached with the Outlaws as some of his most memorable times in the sport.

“To be honest, it was one of the greatest teams or dynasties that I’ve ever seen or been a part of in softball here in Saskatoon,” said Equina. “I’ve been through a lot of teams, and this was a pretty special team just the way they were put together and how good they were as friends off the field.

“The way they played it was something special, and it was something people loved to watch. It was a show every time they came out, and they made sure of it. It was softball at its finest.”

A total of eight players were on all three of the Outlaws Canadian championship teams including Koscielski, Stacey Boldt, Lauren Bourdon, Lindsay Garchinski, Katherine Guenther, Anne Kelly, Sydney Marquart and Natalie Woodside. Earle Woodside and Equina were on the coaching staff for all three national title wins.

Some of the members of the Saskatoon Sport Hall of Fame’s class of 2023.

Equina said it was surreal for the Outlaws Canadian championship teams will be going into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

“It is unexplainable,” said Equina. “I’m speechless.

“It is something that is pretty special that I hold to my heart to be able to say that we were a part of this very exclusive class. Especially for me to be able to go into the Hall with all this company that I have and with what I do for a living in softball, this is something that I can’t explain how I feel to be honest.”

Joining the Outlaws in the 2023 class includes in the athletes category Jeff Adamson in wrestling, Kelly Parker in Soccer, Kathy (Rollo) Seaman in diving, Adrianne Vangool in athletics and Heather Witzel in basketball. Entering the Hall in the builders category are Derek Bloski in hockey and softball, Dave McCullough in softball and Ivan Tam in athletics.

The WHL’s Saskatoon Blades were honoured by the Hall as the Sports Organization of the Year.

Following the 2011 Canadian title win, the “Outlaws Era” came to an end with an epilogue that saw the team win two provincial Senior A titles in 2012 and 2013. The Outlaws played one final season in 2014 winning a Saskatchewan Amateur Softball Association league title but did not enter provincials. With the nucleus of the players pursuing work life careers, the Outlaws disbanded after the 2014 campaign.

Still, Equina said it is heartwarming that the players have stayed in touch now over a decade after that last junior A Canadian title win.

“To see these girls now, they are coaching with me, they are coaching their own daughters, some of them are still playing and a lot of them are still involved with softball,” said Equina. “Most importantly, they are all still best friends.

“They’ve all attended each others’ weddings. They’ve attended every sort of ceremony, graduation. They seem to all be there for each other.

“To have us along for the ride, it has been pretty special for me to be able to say I was a single part of this team.”

Koscielski said she has numerous great memories from her time with the Outlaws. Looking back on those years, Koscielski said team was able to roll due to some of the most simple and pure reasons.

The Outlaws celebrate their Canadian title win in 2010.

“We just did a lot together,” said Koscielski. “We really liked to hang out with each other and play.

“It was just fun.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. The Outlaws team picture from 2010 is courtesy of Stacey Boldt.

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McCorriston arrives at perfect time for Valkyries

Grace McCorriston hauls in a TD catch for the Valkyries.

Grace McCorriston was ready for the opportunities the hand of fate sent her way in the kicking and receiving games with the Saskatoon Valkyries.

McCorriston played flag football when she was really young before moving over to play soccer for a lengthy period of time. After graduating from Centennial Collegiate, McCorriston started studying in the education program at the University of Saskatchewan.

She wanted to get back into football after watching her boyfriend and now fiancé in Zach Moehler play receiver for the CJFL powerhouse Saskatoon Hilltops. Moehler was with the Hilltops from 2018 to 2021 helping them win CJFL championships in his first two seasons.

McCorriston decided she wanted to join the Valkyries, who are a powerhouse squad in the WWCFL. Originally, McCorriston focused on playing receiver like Moehler. She wanted to wear number 81 like Moehler did with the Hilltops, but she elected to wear #82 as #81 was taken by Valkyries star veteran receiver Rachelle Smith.

Along with becoming a receiver, McCorriston decided to give the kicking game a try with the place kicker and punting positions due to her soccer background.

“I found that when I was younger I could catch the ball quite well,” said McCorriston, who recently graduated from the U of S with her bachelor of education. “I thought I would give it a try.

“That was how I got into receiving. Kicking, definitely the soccer background I knew that I could kick that ball if I needed to and get good at it, if I practised.”

Now in her third season with the team, the 22-year-old is a starting receiver and the squad’s main place kicker and punter. McCorriston first joined the Valkyries for their winter workouts at the start of 2020.

Grace McCorriston (#82) boots a field goal for the Valkyries.

Things came to a halt on that front in March of 2020 as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world. The 2020 WWCFL campaign was ultimately cancelled.

The Valkyries got back to practising in 2021, and while the WWCFL campaign was again cancelled that year, they were able to face the Regina Riot in a three-game exhibition series in July of that year. McCorriston said the practices and those contests provided a valuable opportunity to learn and gain experience playing the game.

“It was very new,” said McCorriston, who stands 5-foot-6. “I had a lot to get used to.

“I think the hardest part was blocking and also memorizing all the different calls and what everything meant and different positions and what they meant and how to do those. It was a big eye-opener for me, because tackle football is very much different than soccer and very much different than flag football. It was a huge adjustment, but so far it has turned out pretty good.”

McCorriston received a sizable amount of reps in the kicking game along with running back Drew Lundquist and played receiver during that three-game series in 2021. At the time, Valkyries all-time great running back Sam Matheson and veteran star defensive back Rienna Rueve were penciled in to be part of the kicking game having done those roles at various times during their playing careers with the Valkyries.

When the WWCFL returned to full regular season play in 2022, Matheson was lost to a season ending knee injury in the team’s second regular season game and elected not to return to the club this season. Rueve only played half of the regular season games in 2022, but suited up for all the team’s post-season contests.

Due to some minor nagging injuries, Rueve didn’t take part in the kicking game as much as she did in the past where she often handled the majority of the punting duties. As a result, McCorriston and Lundquist handled a bigger part of the kicking game, where McCorriston took the majority of the field goal opportunities.

“It was definitely something that someone had to step up,” said McCorriston. “I feel like anybody would have, but I think I knew that I had it in me that I could do it.

Grace McCorriston unload a punt for the Valkyries.

“With that when I take things on, I tend to work at it and push to achieve what I want to achieve. Doing that in that season, I used a lot of Rienna’s techniques and all her advice. She helped me quite a bit in the start, and then she kind of eased off more and more.

“I used her words of kindness and wise words to help me out.”

Valkyries head coach Pat Barry said the fact McCorriston could handle all the field goal kicks played a big part in helping the team win a seventh WWCFL title in 2022. As both Matheson and Rueve didn’t rejoin the team this season, McCorriston has handled the Valkyries punting and field goal kicking.

With the departure of team’s two star veterans in Matheson and Rueve, Barry was thankful McCorriston became as proficient in the kicking game as quickly as she did.

“It was a big deal,” said Barry. “She is working her way to being an excellent kicker.

“She is doing punting and place kicking. Drew (Lundquist) still does our kickoffs. It is something to see her (McCorriston) grow as a kicker.

“It is just impressive.”

McCorriston said another thing that helped her with her skills in the kicking game was the fact she got to practise with the Rylan Kleiter, who was the Hilltops proficient kicker who graduated from the team following their 2019 CJFL championship win. Moehler helped set up McCorriston’s practice sessions with Kleiter, when McCorriston was starting out with learning the kicking skills in football.

“Kleiter gave me some pointers and tips on how to properly kick the ball,” said McCorriston. “So far, I’ve taken what he has told me and taught me and rolled with it and it has worked pretty well.”

The highlight of playing for the Valkyries so far for McCorriston was helping them win the WWCFL title game last year. In the Valkyries 36-6 WWCFL title game win over the Winnipeg-based Manitoba Fearless on June 25, 2022 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, McCorriston caught a 16-yard touchdown pass and booted a field goal from 30 yards out.

Grace McCorriston (#82) took on kicking upon joining the Valkyries. 

“It was unreal,” said McCorriston. “It is amazing to be part of this team and the dynamic that we have.

“The winning is also very fun. I’ve never experienced a loss with this team, so if that were to ever happen, I’m not even sure what kind of feelings I would feel.”

McCorriston believes she has had an overall better season 2023 due to the game experience she gained in her previous two years with the team. With the Valkyries having topped the WWCFL’s Prairie Conference with a 4-0 record in the regular season, McCorriston is looking forward to the post-season.

The Valkyries host the Prairie Conference final against the Regina Riot, who were 2-2 in regular season play, at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on either Saturday, June 17 or Sunday, June 18 at a time to be announced. Saskatoon advanced to the Prairie Conference title game thanks to a forfeit victory over the Winnipeg Wolfpack.

The Riot downed the Fearless 26-13 in a quarter-final contest on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium in Regina to get to the Prairie Conference final.

The Western Conference final will see the Calgary Rage, who were 3-0 in the regular season, host the Edmonton Storm, who were 2-1 in the regular season, on either Saturday, June 17 or Sunday, June 18 in Calgary at a place and time to be announced.

The conference championship game winners will advance to the WWCFL Championship Game that will be hosted in Saskatoon on Saturday, June 24 at 2 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

McCorriston wants to help her club finish out the 2023 campaign with anther league title win.

“It feels like the stakes are a little bit higher,” said McCorriston. “I know that we have a good support system and the fans are great.

Grace McCorriston (#82) makes a TD catch in the 2022 WWCFL final.

“I think that we have a good chance going in. I think that if we keep playing our game and we keep our heads held high and play football how we know how to play I think we will do just fine.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Blades juggle roster, close to cementing 20-year-olds

The Blades traded Justin Lies on June 6.

The Saskatoon Blades have put in some early work to clear up how their roster will look this coming season.

The 2022-23 campaign turned out to be one of the best the Blades have had in some time. They finished fourth overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 48-13-4-3 record.

Saskatoon advanced to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series for the first time since 1994 falling in four games to the Winnipeg Ice. In a WHL Eastern Conference semfinal series in the 2023 playoff run, the Blades fell behind 3-0 to the Red Deer Rebels before rallying back to take the series 4-3. The Blades joined the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets as only teams to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven series and rally back to take the set in WHL history.

Naturally, the Blades in a perfect world would like return as many players as possible from last season who gained valuable experience from that post-season run. Plus, the rosters of the clubs that finished first to third overall in the WHL regular season in the Ice, league champion Seattle Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers are going to look a lot different this season due to their decisions to load up.

The Ice do have the potential to bring back seven core players from their 2022-23 team in Daniel Hauser, Jonas Woo, Zach Benson, Evan Friesen, Carson Latimer, Conor Geekie and Matthew Savoie, but there will be a lot of changes around that group.

With that noted, the Blades have to deal with their share of the cyclical nature of junior hockey. Gone due to graduation having exhausting their major junior eligibility playing out there 20-year-old seasons are captain and offensive-defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere, defenceman Blake Gustafson and centre Josh Pillar.

One of the decisions the Blades had to make was in between the pipes. Did they want to return two goalies in their 19-year-old seasons in Austin Elliott and Ethan Chadwick?

The two netminders rotated starts for pretty much the entire campaign last season. Elliott appeared in 37 regular season games in 2022-23 posting a 25-6-3 record, a 2.20 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and two shutouts. He was named a second team WHL East Division all-star and was named to the CHL’s all-rookie team.

Chadwick appeared in 34 regular season contests in 2022-23 posting a 23-9-2 record, a 2.61 goals against average, a .899 save percentage and two shutouts.

On May 11, the Blades traded Chadwick to the Everett Silvertips for a second round selection in the WHL Prospects Draft that was held that day and originally belonged to the Kamloops Blazers and a fourth round pick in the 2025 Prospects Draft. Saskatoon used the second round selection to pick 15-year-old netminder Ryley Budd, who played with his hometown Calgary Northstars Under-15 AAA team last season.

The Blades traded Conner Roulette to the Chiefs on May 31.

In 20 regular season appearances in the Alberta Elite Hockey League, Budd posted an 8-10 record, a 3.34 goals against average, a .916 save percentage and two shutouts.

With that move, Elliott will likely be the Blades starter next season and a younger goalie in their system will be an apprentice backup. Chadwick will have a good shot to be the Silvertips start for the upcoming campaign.

After trading Chadwick, the Blades started to narrow down the players that could take the three 20-year-old spots they are allowed on their roster. Upon being eliminated from the 2023 WHL Playoffs, the Blades had seven potential players that could fill those 20-year-old spots.

On May 31, they dealt right-winger Conner Roulette to the Spokane Chiefs for a second round selection in the 2024 Prospects Draft and a third round pick in the 2027 Prospects Draft. Appearing in 60 regular season games in 2022-23 with the Blades, Roulette collected 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points to go with a plus-19 rating in the plus-minus department.

On June 3, the Blades traded rugged right-winger Justin Lies to the Victoria Royals for a conditional third round selection in the 2026 Prospects Draft. Lies appeared in 56 regular season contests for the Blade in 2022-23 posting career highs in goals (nine), assists (14), points (23) and plus-minus (plus-six).

Having completed those two moves, the Blades are down to five potential players who could fill their three 20-year-old spots. Out of that group, left-winger Jake Chiasson has a signed three- year NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers and could potentially be assigned to one of the Oilers’ minor professional affiliates.

Chiasson played 70 regular season games in 2022-23 split between the Blades and the Brandon Wheat Kings posting 20 goals and 38 assists. The Blades acquired Chiasson in a trade on January 10.

If Chiasson is assigned in the Oilers system, the Blades would be down to four potential players that could fill their three 20-year-old spots. Skilled centre Trevor Wong is highly likely to fill one of those spots as he topped the Blades in regular season scoring in 2022-23 posting 86 points coming off 27 goals and 59 assists to go with a plus-23 rating appearing in all the club’s 68 regular season contests.

Defenceman Charlie Wright seems like a solid choice to fill a second 20-year-old spot. Appearing in 66 regular season contests with the Blades in 2022-23, Wright posted career highs in goals (eight), assists (32), points (40) and plus-minus (plus-33).

That would leave the third spot to go to either centre Jayden Wiens or utility player Spencer Shugrue, who are both popular in the Blades dressing room. Wiens battled an injury during the regular season being limited to 42 games, where he posted 17 goals, 10 assists and a plus-one rating.

The Blades dealt Ethan Chadwick to the Silvertips on May 11.

Shugrue mainly played defence last season, but his versatility to play up front or on the back end has become valuable. In 55 regular season appearances in 2022-23, Shugrue collected one goal, six assists and a plus-two rating.

In the 2023 WHL Playoffs, Shugrue earned the nickname “Mr. Game 7” for his heroics in the team’s two Game 7 victories over Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats and the Rebels collecting three goals and an assist in those clutch performances.

Unless a deal comes up the Blades can’t turn down, they will likely sit on their 20-year-old situation as is until training camp comes around.

With all that noted, they’ve done well to find good potential landing spots for Chadwick, Roulette and Lies for the upcoming campaign.

Valkyries receive bye in WWCFL playoffs, other notes

QB Alex Eyolfson (#15) and her Valkyries had this weekend off.

For a second straight year, the Saskatoon Valkyries have advanced to the final four of the WWCFL Playoffs thanks to a forfeit victory.

This past Tuesday, the Valkyries, who topped the WWCFL’s Prairie Conference with a 4-0 record, were informed the Winnipeg Wolfpack, who were 0-4 in the regular season, were forfeiting their WWCFL quarter-final to the Saskatoon powerhouse squad. The Wolfpack also forfeited a quarter-final contest last season to the Valkyries, who advanced on to win their seventh WWCFL championship.

The Valkyries and Wolfpack met in a regular season contest on May 28 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Saskatoon blanked Winnipeg 59-0 in a game that was called at halftime due to injuries that had piled up for the Wolfpack.

The Valkyries weren’t the only squad to advance in the WWCFL post-season thanks to a forfeit win. This past Thursday, the Lethbridge Steel, who were 0-4 in the regular season, informed the Edmonton Storm, who were 2-1 in the regular season, they were forfeiting their quarter-final contest to club from the Alberta capital. That contest had originally been scheduled for a 2 p.m. local start in Edmonton on Saturday.

With the forfeit win, the Storm advance to the WWCFL’s Western Conference Championship game to take on the Calgary Rage, who posted a 3-0 record in the regular season. This contest will be played on either Saturday, June 17 or Sunday, June 18 in Calgary at a place and time to be announced.

The Storm and Rage met once in the regular season with the Rage pulling out a 33-14 victory way back on April 29 in Calgary. The two sides were to have played on May 20 in Edmonton, but that contest was outright cancelled due to heavy smoke from the wildfires burning all over Western Canada.

The only quarter-final game that was played came on Saturday as the Winnipeg-based Manitoba Fearless traveled to Regina to face the Riot at Mosaic Stadium. Both squads were 2-2 in regular season play.

The Riot downed the Fearless 26-13 to advance to play the Valkyries in the WWCFL’s Prairie Conference Championship game. That contest will be played at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on either Saturday, June 17 or Sunday, June 18 at a time to be announced.

The Valkyries head into that contest having won their last 25 games overall including two forfeit victories. Saskatoon’s last loss came seemingly a lifetime ago back on June 24, 2018 falling 14-10 in the WWCFL Championship Game to the Riot in Regina at Mosaic Stadium.

This year’s WWCFL Championship Game will be hosted in Saskatoon on Saturday, June 24 at 2 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium. The Valkyries need to beat the Riot in the Prairie Conference final in order to play in the WWCFL final as the host squad.

• On Thursday, the junior A Battlefords North Stars, who are the defending SJHL champions, announced they had signed head coach and general manager Brayden Klimosko, who is 35-years-old, to a five-year contract extension. Klimosko joined the North Stars before the start of the 2018-19 campaign as head coach and took on duties as the general manager before the start of the 2019-20 campaign. This past season, the North Stars top the SJHL regular season standings with an impressive 48-5-2-1 record. They rolled through the SJHL Playoffs posting a 12-1 record to claim the league championship and advance to the national junior A Centennial Cup Championship Tournament in Portage la Prairie, Man. The North Stars advanced to the title game of the Centennial Cup tournament falling to the Alberta-based Brooks Bandits 4-0. The Bandits have won the Centennial Cup the last three times it has been awarded.
• On Thursday, Rob Vanstone received his Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for his extraordinary leadership and service to local sports. Vanstone had worked full-time for the Regina Leader-Post as a sports writer and columnist from late July 1987 to this past February. He left the Leader-Post to join the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders as their Senior Journalist and Historian. When it comes to the sports scene in Regina, Vanstone has covered it all. His stories on minor sports were as good as the ones he would produce on the Roughriders and WHL’s Regina Pats. The effort he gave to all the stories and columns he wrote was outstanding. He was a deserving recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.
• On June 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a piece on Callie Steen, who is a rising star in track and field. Steen is finishing up her Grade 12 year at Hanley Composite School in Hanley, Sask., and she has committed to join the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks Women’s Track and Field team in the NCAA Division I ranks this fall. The piece on Steen can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that shows the track and field season in top gear and the spring season at the Complex rolling on. That post can be found by clicking right here.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Memorial Cup drought for WHL hits new distinction

Remparts blank Thunderbirds 5-0 in CHL final

The WHL’s drought for winning the Memorial Cup hit an unwelcome milestone for the major junior circuit.

On Sunday, the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts blanked the WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0 in the title game of the Memorial Cup tournament played at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C. The Remparts skated away as CHL champions for the second time in team history with the first Memorial Cup championship win coming in 2006.

Since the WHL came into existence in the 1966-67 campaign, it is going through its longest drought of not winning the Memorial Cup and that includes times when the circuit was ineligible to compete for the storied championship trophy. In three of the first four seasons the WHL existed, the circuit wasn’t eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup as the circuit was originally viewed as an “outlaw league” by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association that governed the game in Canada at that time.

The WHL didn’t have any Memorial Cup victories in its first seven seasons of existence, and that winless run came to an end when the Regina Pats won storied trophy for the third time in team history to conclude the 1973-74 campaign. Clubs from the WHL became eligible to play for the Memorial Cup on a regular basis in the 1970-71 campaign.

The WHL’s current drought spans seven seasons including the tournaments played from 2015 to 2019, 2022 and 2023. The Memorial Cup tournament wasn’t contested in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The current drought matches the drought the WHL had at the beginning of its existence that included seasons the league wasn’t allowed to compete for the trophy that was first awarded in 1919. Including the two years the Memorial Cup tournaments that were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHL is in its longest drought for winning major junior hockey’s biggest prize when it comes to considering how much time has elapsed since the last win.

The Edmonton Oil Kings were the last team from the WHL to win the Memorial Cup, and that victory came back in 2014. Edmonton captured the WHL and CHL titles that year playing to honour the memory of former player Kristians Pelss, who was with the Oil Kings 2012 WHL championship team and passed away in June of 2013 due to a recreation diving accident.

In the championship game of the 2014 Memorial Cup tournament played in London, Ont., on May 25 of that year, the WHL champion Oil Kings downed the OHL champion Guelph Storm 6-3. It has been nine years since a WHL team last captured the Memorial Cup.

On the other end of the spectrum, teams from the QMJHL have won the Memorial Cup the last four times the CHL’s championship tournament was held. That included the Saint John Sea Dogs winning the event as the host squad last year after being eliminated in the first round of the QMJHL Playoffs.

This year’s WHL champion in the Thunderbirds was the deepest squad the circuit sent to the Memorial Cup since the Oil Kings championship win in 2014. The Thunderbirds and Remparts were two of the CHL’s top clubs throughout the 2022-23 campaign.

Kyle Crnkovic was a Memorial Cup tournament all-star.

The Thunderbirds topped the WHL’s Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

In the WHL Playoffs, the Thunderbird proceeded to win the league title posting a 16-3 mark.

The Remparts finished first overall in the QMJHL regular season standings with a 53-12-1-2 record and were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. In the QMJHL Playoffs, the Remparts proceeded to win the league crown posting a 16-2 mark.

Both clubs were 2-1 in the round robin portion of the tournament, and the Remparts took first place and earned a bye to the tournament final with a 3-1 victory in a head-to-head meeting with the Thunderbirds on May 29. The Thunderbirds downed the OHL champion Peterborough Petes 4-1 in a semifinal contest to advance to the final.

It was expected the Memorial Cup title game between the Thunderbirds and Remparts would be a heavyweight tilt. It was apparent in that contest Remparts head coach and general manager Patrick Roy and his staff used the four days off between their last round robin game and the title contest to ensure their team was ready for the final.

The Memorial Cup win just added to more to Roy’s hockey legend and his image as an all-time hero in the province of Quebec rightfully nicknamed “Saint Patrick.”

At the 6:31 mark of the first period, Remparts import defenceman Vsevolod Komarov fired a shot to the top right corner of the Seattle net converting a beauty pass on a two-on-one break from Remparts left-winger Kassim Gaudet to open the game’s scoring.

The Remparts pushed their advantage out to 2-0 at the 8:50 mark of the second as star right-winger James Malatesta fired home his fifth goal of the tournament converting a tick-tack-toe passing play involving star centre Theo Rochette and Komarov. Malatesta’s tally came during a stretch were the two sides were playing four skaters versus four skaters due to off-setting penalties.

Seattle appeared to have a big chance to mount a comeback after Remparts centre Mikael Huchette was given a minor penalty for cross-checking sending the Thunderbirds to the power play with 8:58 remaining in the third. On the Thunderbirds power play, the Remparts scored a short-handed goal to go up 3-0 that proved to be a backbreaking tally to the hopes of the WHL champs.

In the Remparts zone, Thunderbirds star centre Brad Lambert had a shot blocked by Remparts defenceman Nicolas Savoie. The puck deflected right to Remparts star centre Justin Robidas who quickly transitioned down the right-wing on a two-on-one break with Gaudet.

Robidas passed the puck across the front of the Seattle net to Gaudet, who buried the short-handed marker to give the Remparts their three-goal lead with 7:39 remaining in the third. Gaudet’s goal ultimate brought an end to the competitive part of the contest.

Zachary Bolduc tallied on the power play and Charles Savoie scored at even strength for the Remparts to round out the 5-0 final.

William Rousseau stopped all 32 shots he faced to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Remparts. Thomas Milic turned away 30 shots to take the setback in goal for the Thunderbirds.

Malatesta took the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the MVP of the Memorial Cup tournament. He was named to the tournament all-star team along with teammates Rochette and Rousseau. Rousseau claimed the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the event’s most outstanding goaltender.

Thunderbirds star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic and standout defensive-defenceman Nolan Allan were also named to the tournament’s all-star team.

While the Remparts on the scoreboard posted a convincing win, the Thunderbirds did have chances to change their fate. After the Remparts got ahead 1-0 and increased their edge to 2-0, the Thunderbirds were never able to find a traction moment to change the complexion of the contest.

Had the Thunderbirds scored in the game’s first 50 minutes, it could have changed how that whole contest played out. The Remparts did make a handful of mistakes that resulted in scoring chances for the Thunderbirds.

The Thunderbirds weren’t able to score off those mistakes, and it ended up being a no harm and now foul situation for the Remparts.

Before the Remparts netted their first goal, Lambert had a chance in alone in the Quebec zone to score for the Thunderbirds, but he as stoned by Rousseau. Late in the first period with the Remparts holding a 1-0 lead, the Thunderbirds forced the Remparts to turn the puck over in their own zone resulting in a scoring chance for Crnkovic, whose backhand shot was swallowed up with some juggling by Rousseau.

Nolan Allan was a Memorial Cup tournament all-star.

A short time after that scoring chance, Crnkovic created another scoring opportunity. He intercepted a pass by a Remparts player behind the Quebec goal. After getting the puck, Crnkovic fed a pass to the front of the net to Thunderbirds captain Lucas Ciona. Ciona quick shot was swallowed up by an alert Rousseau.

About eight minutes into the second, Thunderbirds offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel had a point blank chance to score, but Rousseau turned that shot away with a pad stop.

Had the Thunderbirds scored on any of those early chances, it might have created some doubts for the players on the Remparts.

The Remparts were able to make the Thunderbirds hesitate and second guess what they were able to do with the puck thanks to structured play. Quebec created a number of Seattle turnovers.

Lambert had his struggles turning the puck over at least on three occasions with backhanded passes that resulted in turnovers and offensive zone rushes for the Remparts. Thanks to Milic, the Remparts didn’t score on any of those turnovers.

Lambert, who is 19-years-old, was selected in the first round and 30^th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and has a signed entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets assigned Lambert to the Thunderbirds in January from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, and Lambert looked like a future NHL star in his half season with the Thunderbirds.

If he makes turnovers like he did in the Memorial Cup title game at the NHL level, Lambert won’t be in the NHL for very long. He is already under the microscope by Jets followers, so you can be sure his turnovers in the Memorial Cup title game were noticed.

Had the Thunderbirds scored on the third period power play they received due to Huchette’s cross-checking minor, a goal at that point could have changed how the Memorial Cup title game played out.

Still, the Remparts were 27-3 overall in their last 30 contests, so they flat out deserved to win the Memorial Cup and soak in all the praise that comes their way.

For the WHL as a league, maybe the “Curse of the Drop” still lingers.

For the superstitious types, that event took place on May 25, 2008 after the WHL champion Spokane Chiefs downed the host Kitchener Rangers 4-1 in the Memorial Cup tournament’s championship game. After receiving the trophy, Chiefs captain Chris Bruton had the Memorial Cup fall apart in his hands as he attempted to give it to veteran defenceman Trevor Glass.

Since that drop, the WHL has only won the Memorial Cup once coming with the Oil Kings win in 2014.

Going forward, one has to wonder how long the WHL’s Memorial Cup drought will continue, and how much the hands of fate will play a part in extending that drought.

Bedard makes history at CHL Awards

Connor Bedard collect three honours at the CHL Awards.

Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard continues to make history even when he isn’t skating in games on the ice.

On Saturday, Bedard cleaned up at the CHL Awards held in Kamloops, B.C., as part of the Memorial Cup tournament that is held to crown a CHL champion. Bedard claimed the David Branch Player of the Year Award, the CHL Top Draft Prospect Award and the CHL Top Scorer Award.

The North Vancouver, B.C., product became the first play to win all three awards since the CHL Top Scorer Award was first introduced in 1994.

In 57 regular season appearances for the Pats, Bedard, who is the Pats captain, piled up 71 goals and 72 assists for 143 points to go with a plus-39 rating in the plus-minus department. In the WHL Playoffs, Bedard had 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points to go with a plus-eight rating as Regina fell in a tough seven game first round series to the Saskatoon Blades.

Bedard is rated number one among North American skaters in the final ranking released by NHL Central Scouting. Barring something unforeseen, Bedard will be the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft set for June 28 to 29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and he will be skating in the NHL next season as an 18-year-old with the Chicago Blackhawks, who hold the first overall selection.

At this past world juniors held in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B., Bedard set numerous Canadian team records helping Canada take the gold medal final 3-2 in overtime over Czechia this past January 5 in Halifax.

Bedard was named the most valuable player at world juniors along with picking up accolades being named the event’s best forward and a tournament all-star.

His tallies for assists (14) and points (23) were new Canadian records for a single world juniors along with setting a new record for points in a tournament by any player aged 18 or younger. In 16 career games played at world juniors, Bedard set new Canadian career records at the event for goals (16) and points (36).

Bedard’s own brand skyrocketed following world juniors. He sold out rinks or set attendance records at arena across the WHL in most games he played in following world juniors.

Connor Bedard had 143 points in 57 regular season games in 2022-23.

It likely won’t be long when Bedard is in his NHL career that a new appreciation hits fans and followers of the WHL circuit that he played his entire major junior career on that circuit. There are probably some fans out there who are kicking themselves they didn’t get out to see Bedard in his 16-year-old season in 2021-22.

In 2021-22 when the WHL clubs started playing in their home rinks in front of fans after big shutdowns due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, WHL teams drew an average of 3,205 spectators per game for 748 regular season dates. This past season, WHL squads drew an average of 3,895 spectators per game for 748 regular season date.

At some point in time, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bedard maybe one game become a sports cultural icon in Chicago like the late Walter Payton with the NFL’s Bears and Michael Jordan with the NBA’s Bulls.

In making the rounds on the interview trail around Game 2 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup final in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday, Bedard looked poised. He also displayed a cool and confident strut when he was on an NHL on TNT panel with Wayne Gretzky, Anson Carter, Henrik Lundquist and Paul Bissonnette.

You have to think it is going to be fun watching Bedard’s NHL journey play out.

Besides the continuing excitement with Bedard, Olen Zellweger was the other winner at the CHL Awards from the WHL. The Kamloops Blazers star defenceman claimed the CHL Defenceman of the Year Award.

Nathan Darveau of the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres claimed the CHL’s Goaltender of the Year Award, Maxim Masse of the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens took home the CHL Rookie of the Year Award, Dave Cameron of the OHL’s Ottawa 67s captured the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award, Evan Vierling of the OHL’s Barrie Colts won the CHL Sportsman Player of the Year Award, Colby Barlow of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack claimed the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award and Dalyn Wakely of the OHL’s North Bay Battalion took home the CHL Humanitarian of the Year Award.

On Sunday, Zellweger picked up another honour as he was named an all-star on defence for the Memorial Cup Tournament following the Quebec Remparts 5-0 championship game win over the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Connor Bedard will be selected first in the NHL Entry Draft.

Blazers star captain Logan Stankoven picked up a pair of Memorial Cup tournament awards. Stankoven captured the Ed Chynoweth Trophy as the event’s top scorer and George Parsons Trophy as most sportsmanlike player. The skilled centre topped the Memorial Cup tournament with nine points coming off two goals and seven assists in four games.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Murphy’s versatility benefits Valkyries for almost a decade

Saskatoon closes WWCFL regular season with perfect 4-0 mark

Kelsey Murphy returns a kick for the Valkyries.

Becoming part of the Saskatoon Valkyries family allowed Kelsey Murphy to become a better supporter of the football exploits of her two younger brothers.

Murphy joined the Valkyries way back in their 2014 WWCFL championship season and has been with the powerhouse women’s football squad ever since. The veteran defensive back has spent the most consecutive seasons with the team out of anyone on the current roster at nine, which is also good for the most total campaigns spent on the squad as a player with the club’s current lineup.

When Murphy joined the Valkryies in 2014, she fell in love with the game of football quickly. The now 29-year-old admitted she actually didn’t have any warm feelings for the sport until she became a member of the Valkyries.

“Before that, I didn’t like football,” said Murphy. “I didn’t want to watch it, when my family wanted to watch it.

“I regret missing a lot of my brother’s football games early on, because I wasn’t interested in it. Then, Valkyries made that space for women to be in football. For me, that is when I fell in love with it.

“Now, I’m at every game I can get to.”

By the end of Murphy’s first season with the Valkyries, her brother Liam, who is two years younger than her, had just graduated from Aden Bowman Collegiate. By that time, Liam had played tackle football for a lengthy stretch starting in Saskatoon Minor Football’s Six-A-Side program, the KFL and in the high school ranks with the Aden Bowman Collegiate Bears.

After Kelsey played her first season with the Valkyries, Liam joined the Saskatoon Hilltops as a running back and helped them win CJFL championships in all four seasons he played with the club from 2014 to 2017.

Kelsey Murphy looks to blitz from the halfback position.

The elder sister didn’t ignore all her brother’s games before she joined the Valkyries, but she was a regular in the stands at all his games with the Hilltops.

“I would go to his games, but I wasn’t watching it because I didn’t know the sport,” said Murphy, who stands 5-foot-5. “I felt like a big outsider to football.

“Once I started playing Valks, I was at every game watching him, because I was like, ‘This is so cool and exciting.’ I have an idea of what is going on now and feel like it is a space that I can be in and be excited about.”

Liam is currently a running backs coach with the Valkyries. On top of trying to get to all Liam’s games when he was with the Hilltops, Kelsey made it to as many of the high school games as she could of their youngest sibling in brother Jacob at Aden Bowman. Jacob’s tackle football days came to an end when he joined the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Track and Field team in September of 2017.

Kelsey has continued suit up to play in tackle football games for almost a half decade since Liam or Jacob last suited up to play. She is also one of the oldest active players on the Valkyries roster, and she finds the experience she has gained has become a valuable asset.

“I think there is like a big sense of comfort,” said Murphy. “I know what is coming and can do my best to welcome other people into it.

“I think that is one of my favourite things about being at this stage in football.”

On Sunday at Leibel Field in Regina, the Valkyries stormed out to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 41-0 victory over the host Riot in the final regular season contest for both sides. With the win, the Valkyries officially wrapped up first place in the Prairie Conference with a 4-0 record. The Riot place second in the Prairie Conference with a 2-2 mark.

So far this season, Murphy has interceptions in each of the Valkyries two regular season home games. She returned one of those interceptions 45 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring in the Valkyries 59-0 romp over the Winnipeg Wolfpack on May 28 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

Kelsey Murphy (#85) returns an interception for the Valkyries.

Overall, Murphy loves how the Valkyries have come together this season.

“I do feel like we’ve got a lot of really new young players who are doing amazing and coming up with such skill and talent with all the development that Football Sask and all those people have been putting into women’s football,” said Murphy. “We have a great core as well of vets like Sarah (Wright) and everybody and Woj (Alex Wojcichowsky) that have been around for quite a while and are just like such good players.

“I think it is a really exciting mix.”

Murphy had seen her role with the team change quite a bit over the years. She started out as a running back in 2014 but didn’t see the field a whole lot due to how deep the club was at that position at that time.

Murphy switched over to receiver for a number of years before becoming a defensive back. On special teams, Murphy has returned kicks for a lengthy part of her career.

“I don’t think running back was necessarily the best place for me to start,” said Murphy, who has helped the Valkyries win four WWCFL titles over her playing career. “It was good, because I learned a lot about how to hold a ball going into contact and learning how to get tackled.

“Just for my size, it was like they could just push me over. Receiver was really fun, and I loved it. I’m so happy to be at DB now.

“I wish I had started there from the start, but then I wouldn’t have gotten as much practise catching and carrying the ball.”

Valkyries head coach Pat Barry came on board with the program as a position coach the same year Murphy joined the squad in 2014. At the end of the Valkyries championship campaign last season, Barry asked Murphy if she was coming back for another campaign, and Murphy said she would be back as she was having too much fun.

“She (Murphy) is just a positive person,” said Barry. “Kelsey is a great person, and she does so much for our team, and people just gravitate towards her.

Kelsey Murphy starts into a backpedal for the Valkyries.

“We always wanted the best for her. We thought she would get more playing time as a DB. She has really emerged as a great defensive back, so it is exciting.”

Away from football, Murphy has been involved in various community endeavors. On May 14, 2021, Murphy was recognized by the Saskatoon YWCA Women of Distinction Awards being named the winner of the 29 and Under Award.

Barry said Murphy has a gift when it comes to leading by example.

“Having that leadership that transfers or translates is kind of unique on our team, because as adults, they can keep playing,” said Barry, whose team has won 24 straight games overall. “It is essential.

“It really helps. It sort of teaches the younger players how we do things around here. She is great at that.”

Murphy said she has great memories of her first year coming in with a rookie group that included Ehjae Chan, Sam Matheson, Danielle Haughian and Kelsey Dick. She is still enjoying the game as much as ever now in her ninth year with the team.

Murphy wants to help the members of this year’s team create many more amazing memories. She would love to help the Valkyries win another WWCFL title also to give a nod to the coaches for all the work they’ve put in this season.

“It would be amazing,” said Murphy. “It would be awesome to win with this coaching staff that has worked so hard to kind of get us to where we are.”

The Valkyries are expecting to open the WWCFL playoffs this coming weekend with a Prairie Conference semifinal with the day and time of that contest still to be announced. They will have home-field advantage throughout the post-season including if they reach the WWCFL Championship Game.

Looking beyond this season, Murphy is expecting to continue to play with the Valkyries, but she isn’t sure how many years down the road that will continue for.

“That is a tough question, because it does just get like harder on your body,” said Murphy. “It is tough to say.

Kelsey Murphy (#85) visits some Valkyries alum after a game.

“I think a few, but I don’t know for sure.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Thunderbirds on the clock to end WHL’s Memorial Cup woes

Colton Dach scored a key goal in the Memorial Cup semifinal.

Will the Seattle Thunderbirds end the WHL’s drought when it comes to winning the Memorial Cup?

That will be the burning question for WHL followers when the Thunderbirds take the ice in the title game of the CHL’s championship tournament. They will go up against the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts on Sunday at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C., at 4 p.m. local time. The winner claims junior hockey’s most prestigious trophy in the Memorial Cup.

On paper, this has the makings to be a heavyweight tilt that produces a classic of a championship game. Both the Thunderbirds and Remparts have been two of the CHL’s top clubs throughout the 2022-23 campaign.

The Thunderbirds topped the WHL’s Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

In the WHL Playoffs, the Thunderbird proceeded to win the league title posting a 16-3 mark.

The Remparts finished first overall in the QMJHL regular season standings with a 53-12-1-2 record and were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. In the QMJHL Playoffs, the Remparts proceeded to win the league crown posting a 16-2 mark.

In the round robin game held this past Monday between the two sides at the Memorial Cup tournament, the Remparts slipped past the Thunderbirds 3-1, but Seattle held a 36-22 edge in shots on goal. Both teams posted identical 2-1 records in the round robin portion of the event, and the Remparts were given first place and a bye to the event’s championship game due to the head-to-head victory over the Thunderbirds.

Brad Lambert scored Seattle’s first goal in the Memorial Cup semifinal.

Seattle downed the OHL champion Peterborough Petes 4-1 in a semifinal contest on Friday to advance to the tournament’s championship game. With the win over the Petes, the Thunderbirds were officially put “on the clock” to try and end the WHL’s drought when it comes to winning the Memorial Cup.

The Edmonton Oil Kings were the last team from the WHL to win the Memorial Cup, and that victory came back in 2014. Edmonton captured the WHL and CHL titles that year playing to honour the memory of former player Kristians Pelss, who was with the Oil Kings 2012 WHL championship team and passed away in June of 2013 due to a recreation diving accident.

The WHL is currently in its longest drought as a league of not being able to win the Memorial Cup spanning six seasons from 2015 to 2019 and 2022. The Memorial Cup tournament wasn’t contested in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Clubs from the WHL became eligible to play for the Memorial Cup on a regular basis in the 1970-71 campaign. If the Thunderbirds lose in the CHL’s title game on Sunday, the WHL’s drought will grow to seven seasons creating a new distinction for the drought.

Since the WHL first hit the ice as a circuit for the 1966-67 campaign, the longest it has gone without a Memorial Cup win is seven seasons. That drought included years the WHL wasn’t eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup as the circuit was originally viewed as an “outlaw league” by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association that governed the game in Canada at that time.

The WHL didn’t have any Memorial Cup victories in its first seven seasons of existence, and that winless run came to an end when the Regina Pats won storied trophy for the third time in team history to conclude the 1973-74 campaign.

Kyle Crnkovic scored Seattle’s third goal on Friday.

For a moment, the possibility existed that there wouldn’t be a WHL team in this year’s championship game at the Memorial Cup tournament. On Thursday, the Petes met the host Blazers in a standings tiebreaking game as both teams were 1-2 in round robin play.

Despite not winning the WHL title, the Blazers had a fairly stellar campaign in 2022-23. They finished second overall in the Western Conference and third overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-13-4-3 mark. The B.C. Division champions were rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

The Blazers won their first eight straight games in the WHL Playoffs to advance to the Western Conference Championship Series. They fell in six games in that set to the Thunderbirds.

The Petes were the Cinderella team of CHL’s post-season. They finish 10^th in the overall OHL regular season standings with a 35-29-2-2 record. Despite being an afterthought when the post-season began, the Petes proceeded to win the OHL title posting a 16-7 record in the OHL Playoffs.

In the round robin portion of the Memorial Cup tournament, the Blazers pummeled the Petes 10-2 on May 28. The Blazers held a 4-1 lead early in the second period of Thursday’s tiebreaking game and appeared to be set to cruise to victory.

The Petes caught fired and evened the score 4-4 by the end of the second period. The contest ultimately went to overtime and Petes 19-year-old left-winger J.R. Avon scored the winner at the 10:54 mark of extra time to give the Petes a 5-4 victory.

Going into Friday’s semifinal between the Petes and Thunderbirds, one had to wonder if the Petes were going to see their Cinderella run through to getting their hands on the Memorial Cup. Unfortunately for the Petes, the fact that they were playing their fifth game in seven days caught up with them on the fatigue front.

Thomas Milic made 27 saves in Seattle’s Memorial Cup semifinal win.

The Petes looked fatigued in that clash, but they stayed in the game thanks to a spectacular effort by their star netminder in Michael Simpson. Simpson kept the Thunderbirds off the scoreboard until being beaten by star Seattle centre Brad Lambert with 4:28 remaining in the second period. Lambert’s tally gave the Thunderbirds a 1-0 edge.

Power forward Colton Dach scored 88 seconds into the third to push the Thunderbirds lead out to 2-0. The Petes responded 73 seconds later with a goal from left-winger Brennan Othmann to cut the Seattle lead to 2-1.

Seattle put the contest away with a goal by star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic just before the midway point of the frame and an empty-net tally from standout left-winger Nico Myatovic to round out the 4-1 win. 

Star netminder Thomas Milic made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds, while Simpson turned away 43-of-46 shots in the campaign ending setback for the Petes.

Unfortunately for the loaded up Thunderbirds, they could be running into a buzzsaw with the Remparts, whose level of play might be raised by their own emotional motivation. The Memorial Cup title game could be the last ride with the Remparts for “Saint Patrick.”

Hockey legend Patrick Roy, who is the Remparts head coach and general manager, is involved in speculation with regards to NHL head coaching vacancies. The Remparts players could be motivated to see the 57-year-old Roy departs on an ultimate high note.

The Remparts starting star netminder William Rousseau has been solid during the tournament stopping 87-of-95 shots for a .916 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average.

Nico Myatovic scored an empty-net goal on Friday night.

You can expect the Thunderbirds will give their best to try and win their first Memorial Cup title in team history. If they fall in the CHL’s title game on Sunday, one has to wonder how far the WHL’s Memorial Cup drought will go.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Memorial Cup heads into playoff round with field intact

Eliminations begin tonight with tiebreaking game

Thomas Milic leads the Memorial Cup with a .923 save percentage.

The Memorial Cup tournament’s four-team field has stayed alive going into the playoff round.

For event organizers, it is always optimal when the four clubs competing at the tournament that crowns a CHL champion are still playing going into the playoff round. In most years, at least two teams have traveled a great distance to get to the tournament’s host location.

At this year’s tourney in Kamloops, B.C., the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts and the OHL champion Peterborough Petes are the squads that have traveled the greatest distance to compete for major junior hockey’s biggest prize at the Sandman Centre. The results from the round robin portion of the tournament leave the door open for anything to happen. With that said, some trends have materialized in the games that have been played so far.

The playoff round starts tonight with a tiebreaking game between the Petes and the host Blazers from the WHL set for a 6 p.m. local time start. Both teams posted 1-2 records in round robin play with the Blazers bombing the Petes 10-2 this past Sunday.

The Petes rebounded from that drubbing with a 4-2 victory over the Remparts on Tuesday holding a 36-28 edge in shots on goal. Peterborough has been the Cinderella team in the CHL post-season having finished 10^th overall in the OHL with a 35-29-2-2 record.

Logan Stankoven

It should come as no surprise they got into the Memorial Cup’s playoff round by having to play a tiebreaker. Now, they will see if they can get to the CHL’s biggest ball in the Memorial Cup championship game on Sunday.

The Petes have scored the fewest goals in the tournament at nine. Petes 20-year-old right-winger Avery Hayes tops the club having scored three goals, while left-winger Brennan Othmann tops the Petes with three assists.

The Blazers have scored the most goals in the tournament with 14. Blazers star centre Logan Stankoven tops the Memorial Cup in scoring with eight points coming off one goal and seven assists.

The toughest obstacle the Blazers might be facing is the fact star netminder Dylan Ernst is the coldest of the four starting goalies at the event. Ernst has stopped 89-of-105 shots fired his way for a .848 save percentage, which is the worst among the starting netminders. His 5.39 goals against average is also the worst among the starting goaltenders.

The WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds finished second in the round robin standings with a 2-1 mark and will face the winner of the clash between the Petes and Blazers in a tournament semifinal contest set for Friday at 7 p.m. local time. The Thunderbirds loss came on Monday with a 3-1 setback to the Remparts in a contest that saw Seattle hold a 36-22 edge in shots on goal.

The Remparts scored 54 seconds into that contest to go up 1-0, but the Thunderbirds were really composed in playing the rest of that game. They just didn’t get rewarded with the goals for their work.

Had the Thunderbirds won that contest, they would have finished first and had a bye into Sunday’s championship game. The Remparts locked up first place and that path to the championship game with their Monday victory over Seattle.

The Thunderbirds are a deep team, but their biggest ace is star netminder Thomas Milic. Milic backstopped Canada to a gold medal win at world juniors that wrapped up this past January.

The Coquitlam, B.C., product has stopped 72-of-78 shots fired his way for a tournament leading .923 save percentage. Seattle has allowed the event’s fewest goals at seven, which means Milic has the lowest goals against average among starting netminders at 2.02.

A Seattle has a pair of star players who are playing out their final games of their major junior careers and are trying to go out in a blaze of glory. Left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who is 21-years-old, sits second in tournament scoring with six points coming off four goals and two assists. Jared Davidson, who is a 20-year-old centre and a career member of the Thunderbirds, has four points coming off a goal and three assists.

The Remparts are sitting in the best spot having topped the round robin standings with a 2-1 record to earn a berth in Sunday’s championships game. They will face the winner of Friday’s semifinal match in the winner take all Memorial Cup title game set for 4 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Quebec started the tournament with a bang downing the host Blazers 8-3 in the event’s opening game. Had the Remparts gone undefeated in the round robin portion of the tourney, there could have been a worry about the Quebec side facing complacency when taking the ice for the Memorial Cup championship game.

After getting past the Thunderbirds, the Remparts closed their round robin schedule with their loss to the Petes. You can bet Remparts head coach and general manager Patrick Roy in reinforcing to his players how much better they need to be in the title contest during the club’s four days off leading up to the Memorial Cup final. It would be wise to expect the Remparts will be ready for the event’s championship game.

The Remparts starting star netminder William Rousseau has been solid during the tournament stopping 87-of-95 shots for a .916 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average.

Quebec’s scoring has been more spread out through its roster with four players tied for the team lead with four points. Right-winger James Malatesta has four goals, centre Theo Rochette has three goals and one assist, left-winger Zachary Bolduc had one goal and three assists and centre Justin Robidas has four assists.

The Memorial Cup title game could be the last ride with the Remparts for “Saint Patrick.” The 57-year-old Roy is involved in speculation with regards to NHL head coaching vacancies.

Kyle Crnkovic has six points at the Memorial Cup tourney.

For any hockey fan, the playoff round of the Memorial Cup tournament should be fun to follow with all the potential storylines that could play out. It is time to sit back, watch the games play out and enjoy.

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